Somalia's new leader inaugurated, vowing to restore dignity

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed speaks at his inauguration ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. Somalia's new leader, who also holds U.S. citizenship, was inaugurated Wednesday while promising to restore dignity to the troubled Horn of Africa nation but warning it will take another two decades to "fix" the country. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
(The Associated Press)

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmajo, center, is accompanied by two former presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, left, and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, right, at his inauguration ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. Somalia's new leader, who also holds U.S. citizenship, was inaugurated Wednesday while promising to restore dignity to the troubled Horn of Africa nation but warning it will take another two decades to "fix" the country. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
(The Associated Press)

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has been inaugurated while promising to restore dignity to the troubled Horn of Africa nation.

Mohamed was elected earlier this month in a step toward Somalia's first fully functioning central government in a quarter-century.

The new leader, who also holds U.S. citizenship, has already vowed to make security a priority in a country where extremist group al-Shabab still carries out deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.

The Islamic extremist group earlier this week denounced the election and vowed to keep fighting.

Several regional heads of state attended Mohamed's inauguration Wednesday.

Mohamed, also known as Farmajo, also is promising to tackle graft in a country recently ranked by Transparency International as the most corrupt in the world.